Recovery of Dimethylbenzene/ Butylacetate from Spent Solvent Oil by Batch Distillation: Experiment and Simulation

The recovery of Dimethylbenzene and Butylacetate from industry spent solvent oil by batch distillation was studied, and the batch distillation experiment was performed with pretreated material. The effect of separation temperature, time and reflux ratio on separation process was investigated. The experimental results showed that the concentrations of Dimethylbenzene and Butylacetate were above 95% in top distillate product, and the yield of Dimethylbenzene and Butylacetate was 62% and 99.45%, respectively, under appropriately conditions. A robust and rapid mathematical model had been developed, based on mass balance and relative volatility. The satisfactory results obtained allowed to use the model in real time for a better control and management of batch distillation.